1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup and a disk drive apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a technical field that provides a good servo characteristic while the degree of freedom for arrangement is assured, by setting a longitudinal direction of a support spring for coupling a fixed block with a movable block, to a predetermined direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disk drive apparatus is provided which records or reproduces information signals on or from a disk recording medium, such as an optical disk or a magneto-optical disk. Such a disk drive apparatus includes an optical pickup that is moved in a radial direction of the disk recording medium, and irradiates the disk recording medium with laser light.
The optical pickup includes a movement base that is moved in the radial direction of the disk recording medium, and an objective lens drive device arranged in an arrangement recess formed in the movement base. The objective lens drive device includes a fixed block, and a movable block supported by the fixed block via a support spring such as a metal wire.
In the optical pickup, the movable block having an objective lens is operated relative to the fixed block in a focusing direction, which is a direction toward and away from a recording surface of the disk recording medium, to perform focusing adjustment, and the movable block is operated relative to the fixed block in a tracking direction, which is a substantially radial direction of the disk recording medium, to perform tracking adjustment, so that a spot with laser light for irradiation of the disk recording medium is focused onto a recording track of the disk recording medium.
With such an optical pickup, it is desirable to close a portion of the objective lens drive device other than the movable block, with a cover so as to prevent, for example, the support spring from being deformed when an impact is applied. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to obtain a space sufficient for arrangement of the cover due to arrangement of other components. In particular, the optical pickup is desired to be reduced in height, and hence, a distance between the disk recording medium and the objective lens drive device has to be reduced. Thus, it is difficult to obtain a space for the arrangement of the cover.
In light of the situations, an optical pickup of a related art is provided, in which the fixed block is arranged at a position farther from the disk recording medium than the movable block is, and the support spring for coupling the fixed block with the movable block is inclined with respect to the disk recording medium, to obtain the space for the arrangement of the cover (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-66016).